NFL Christmas Day Schedule: Who Is Playing on Christmas?

The 2025 Christmas Day slate of games has been announced.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) makes the game-winning touchdown catch over Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The NFL announced their slate for Christmas Day in 2025 back in May, and the holiday is set to feature three rivalry games this year.

After the success of the two games the NFL featured on Christmas last year, the NFL will now hold three games on the holiday each year. The NFL started holding games on Christmas annually in 2020, and the tradition is here to stay.

Here are the three matchups that will take place this year on Christmas Day:

Which Teams Are Playing on Christmas Day?

Time (ET)	Away Team	Home Team	TV/Streaming
1 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys	Washington Commanders	Netflix
4:30 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings	Detroit Lions	Netflix
8:15 p.m.	Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	Prime Video

The Cowboys, Vikings and Chiefs were all part of the NFL's first set of games on Christmas Day back in 1971, when the league held the divisional round of the playoffs on the holiday. The Chiefs were defeated by the Miami Dolphins in the NFL's longest game, and the Cowboys took down the Vikings before winning their first Super Bowl that season.

The Chiefs, Cowboys and Lions are also all playing on Thanksgiving this year as well as Christmas. Kansas City hopes to make playing on Christmas an annual tradition, while the Cowboys and Lions have a longstanding history of playing on Thanksgiving.

NFL Christmas Matchups

This year's slate of Christmas games features three divisional matchups. When the matchups were originally scheduled, they were set to showcase three games with significant playoff implications. Instead, the slate has turned into a disappointment featuring three teams without their starting quarterbacks and four teams already out of postseason contention.

In the early window, the Cowboys will take on a Commanders team that has been hampered by injuries, including to quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. Third-stringer Josh Johnson will get the start against an explosive Cowboys offense that leads the NFL in passing yards per game. While Dallas will not be postseason-bound this year, their offense has impressed under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer and they will look to put on a show on Christmas Day.

The Vikings and Lions' fight for the NFC North came down to the final game of the regular season last year, with the Lions ultimately prevailing. This year, however, neither team has a shot at winning the NFC North crown. The Vikings have turned to quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has shown growth in recent weeks but will be out because of a hand injury. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will get his second start in place of McCarthy as Minnesota takes on a Lions team clinging to their slim postseason hopes. The Lions are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in years, and will try to rebound in front of the home crowd at Ford Field.

Though the Chiefs have reigned atop the AFC West lately and have made each of the last three Super Bowls, they have lost that title this year. The Chiefs have been eliminated from postseason contention while quarterback Patrick Mahomes is out for the remainder of the year with a torn ACL. Meanwhile, the Broncos will look to rebound from a home loss to the Jaguars. While Denver is expected to easily cruise to victory over a Chiefs team led by third-stringer Chris Oladokun, this notably could be the last home game for tight end Travis Kelce if he ends up hanging it up this offseason.

What Is Each Team's Record on Christmas?

The Cowboys and Chiefs are tied for the most games on Christmas Day, with five apiece. Dallas is 2–3 while Kansas City is 3–2 on the holiday.

The Vikings and Broncos have each played on Christmas a total of four times. Minnesota is 1–3 in those games and Denver is 2–2. Neither of the two played well during their last Christmas appearance, with the Vikings losing to the Saints 52–33 in 2020 and the Broncos getting crushed by the Rams 51–14 in 2022.

The Detroit Lions have appeared in Christmas games twice, but are 0–2 in those matchups. The Commanders are the lone team of the six that have yet to play on Christmas Day.

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